SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 arrives

Microsoft has released SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1. The service pack is not …

Microsoft today released Service Pack 1 for all seven editions of SQL Server 2008, its relational database management system that uses Transact-SQL as its primary query language. The update is available in 32-bit, 64-bit, and ia64 flavors from the Microsoft Download Center. SP1 is primarily a roll-up of previous cumulative updates and while there are no new features, Microsoft did highlight the following three improvements:

Slipstream allows administrators to install SQL Server 2008 and Service Pack 1 in a single instance. This decreases the total time for an installation, including a fewer number of reboots, thereby increasing productivity and deployment availability

Service Pack Uninstall allows administrators to uninstall the service pack separately from the database release. This feature also improves DBA productivity, reduces the cost of deployment and improves overall supportability

Microsoft also took the opportunity to note that there have been "over three million downloads" of SQL Server 2008 to date. SQL Server 2008 hit the RTM milestone in August 2008. The CTP of SP1 was released in February.